Muscle spasms in back, causes, symptoms and treatment

Back spasm is the worst painful experience that a person can go through. It is a pain occurring in the back muscle, due to the involuntary mild contraction of the muscles. Back spasm is often neglected, considering it to be normal back pain, which often aggravates the problem, making it difficult for the patient to deal with the pain. The problem, if not attended on time, can even restrict the movement of the patient. The problem of repeated back muscle spasm is, however, pretty difficult to diagnose as the symptoms are somewhat similar to the normal backache. Therefore, only a thorough inspection of the back muscle can define the seriousness of the problem. This article provides you with the various causes, symptoms and treatment of back muscle spasms.

Causes of Back Muscle Spasms

- A sudden catch or a pull in the muscle is one of the most common causes of back spasms. It can happen spontaneously or can be the result of some earlier injury. You will suddenly feel a pull in the muscle fiber, which is very painful and can lead to stretching or even tearing off of the muscles. This condition can also lead to regular muscle spasms in the back, as the body attempts to convalesce on its own.
- Any history of back injury, such as accidents, trauma of some sort or any sport injury, can lead to regular back spasm in people. Sport injury plays a pivotal role in conditions of back spasms. Inadequate warm ups before starting any strenuous exercise, sudden and stressful stretching, improper posture while running, and so on all can be possible causes of muscle spasms.
- Certain joint pains, such as diarthrosises joints, can cause back spasms and sudden pain in the upper and lower back. This is the most common of all the causes, leading to the problem of regular back spasm in majority of the patients.
- Degenerative diseases, like osteoarthritis, deficiency of calcium or vitamin D makes the bone structure pretty weak, leading to back spasm problem. Pregnant woman can also complain about this problem quite often.
Symptoms of Back Muscle Spasms

- Painful back muscle twitching and nipping is one of the common symptoms of back spasms.
- People suffering from the problem of back spasms can complain of sudden back pain, especially in the lower back known as lumbago.
- Patients of back spasms might face difficulty in bending down and performing any stressful activities, such as exercising and climbing uphill.
- When the problem gets severe, it might become difficult for the person to stay in a reclined position for a long period of time. This can even make it difficult for the person to sleep peacefully at night.
- In few cases, the person might complain of palpable muscle tension in the back muscle, if the muscle is put to any motion.

Treatment of Back Muscle Spasms

- People believe that resting on a couch or a bed is the best relief that they can give to their muscles. But, the moment you get back spasms, it is not advisable to lie down, rather move around slowly, maintaining a straight posture.
- Ice therapy can also prove to be a good treatment. Applying ice will reduce the swelling and relieve the pain.
- Heat or hydrotherapy is also an excellent remedy for any kind of muscle spasms. This will help in improving and increasing the blood circulation to the affected area. Once the affected muscle receives enough oxygen, the pain and tension will subside.
- Do not resort to pain control drugs. Substitute pain killers with natural medical remedies, such as acupuncture.
- Once the muscle pain has reduced a bit, use stretching exercises to relieve and comfort the muscles thoroughly. Few gentle stretching exercises can also rebuild the muscular strength and range of motion.
- Massage the affected area using few effective healing rubs. This massage will stimulate the blood flow, creating some amount of heat that is generated by rubbing, to relieve the muscle and get rid of the pain.